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Singapore reinvents the bus stop

As any visitor to Singapore will know, public spaces are clean and transport systems efficient and affordable. Now the island city-state with a tropical climate and multicultural appeal is taking things one step further by reinventing the humble bus stop.

The first example is a new bus stop in Jurong which is located in the southwest of the island. It was designed by a partnership made up of various branches of the Singaporean government and DP Architects, with a brief to “redesign a commonplace thing we take for granted”.

Rooftop garden

The architecture firm’s director Seah Chee Huang has overseen a project that has come up with a final result that includes a rooftop garden.

The new concept bus stop also features a physical book exchange where classic reads such as Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and various Enid Blyton books are on offer. As well as there being a collection of suitable reading material for them, children are furthered catered for by the structure having a swing to play on.

There is also a bike parking station and the already mentioned rooftop garden comes complete with a small tree.

Solar power

The whole thing is partially powered by solar panels which are also installed on the roof and this allows the bus stop to offer connectivity via free Wi-Fi to enable the download of e-books, magazines and newspapers.

The new bus stops are part of Singapore’s aim to test out new technology in the Jurong Lake District, which is the neighbourhood the project planners have “envisioned to be a leading model for Singapore in developing a mixed-use urban district that is sustainable, smart and connected”.

Having already been in operation for six months, the new bus stop will complete a yearlong trial after which the Government will decide which of the features to implement at other locations.